Acting PM says our prosperity under threat by China’s influence

Acting PM Richard Marles has warned we need a “clear eyed focus, every moment” amid China’s rising influence in the South China Sea.

Acting Prime Minister Richard Marles says our “prosperity” as a nation is under threat as China continues to be ever-present in the South China Sea.

The Deputy PM and Defence Minister, who is currently stepping in for the prime minister while he is on holiday, says we need to be focused on our national interests amid rising Chinese influence.

“We’ve just got to have a really clear-eyed focus, every moment, on where our national interest lies and speak to that,” he told Queensland radio station 4BC on Monday.

“Our national interest lies in the East China Sea and the South China Sea in what are the rules of the road … the global rules-based order.”

Mr Marles stressed 60 per cent of Australia’s trade is channelled through the South China Sea.

“In the South China Sea, China is trying to assert a whole lot of ideas which are pretty inconsistent with the rules of the road,” he said.

Acting Prime Minister Richard Marles says China’s influence in the South China Sea threatens Australia’s prosperity. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

“Our prosperity is based on those rules and those rules being in place … is critically important for Australia.”

Mr Marles said while we need to be “respectful” we also need to “completely, unflinchingly speak to our national interest”.

“It is a challenging relationship,” he said.

The acting prime minister was also questioned about Labor’s climate bill, which was passed last week following the Greens’ pledge of support.

Minister Marles said he sees the ambitious policy, which includes two national greenhouse gas emissions targets – a 43 per cent cut below 2005 levels by 2030 – and a reduction to “net zero” by 2050 as “a floor, not a ceiling”.

He said Australians and Australian business had been waiting for the target, but that the government had to be “the mover”.

“Corporate Australia is crying out for this,” he said.

“Every business group out there was supportive of what we’ve done.”

Mr Marles said the development of the bill was centred around a goal to “upgrade our grid so that it is smarter”.

Acting Prime Minister Richard Marles says corporate Australia has been ‘crying out’ for Labor’s climate change policy. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

Questioned about Australia sending $17.7bn worth of coal overseas in June alone, and $88bn in gas in the financial year, Mr Marles said Australia was not responsible for the emissions created by other countries.

“Well, obviously what we sell to the rest of the world is accounted in a global sense in terms of emissions by the countries that purchase it, not by us, ” he said.

Mr Marles said if Australia was to stop exporting coal and gas, it would do little to global emissions.

“We would go broke … other suppliers would fill the gap,” he said.

“Were we to remove it, that would not help to reduce emissions at all. In fact, it may increase it.”

On aged care wages, the Defence Minister said we needed to be practical.

“We’re talking about a group of people who do important work … and they don’t get paid much money to do it,” he said.

“There is a question of fairness, but there is also a question of practicality.”

“We’ve got a real issue in retaining people in aged care and encouraging people to work in aged care, and if we want to do that going forward, people need to be paid a proper wage.”

He said he would be letting the Fair Work Commission decide what the wage rise in the sector should be.

Mr Marles is expected to be catching up with Queensland Aged Care Minister Anika Wells on Tuesday to discuss the issue.